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Expedia shares surge on positive forecasts and US travel rebound

Expedia shares surged by more than 17% on Friday in premarket trade after the online travel agency raised its forecast for full-year gross reservations and expressed optimism about the recovery of U.S. demand.

Expedia is the newest travel company to suggest a recovery in demand. This follows a dip earlier this year, when consumers were worried about the economic impact President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Ariane Gordon, CEO, said in the earnings call held on Thursday that "since the beginning of July we have seen a rise in travel demand in general, especially in the U.S."

The company now expects gross bookings in 2025 to increase between 3% and 5%. This is an increase of 1 percentage point over its previous forecast.

Morningstar analyst Dan Wasiolek predicts that bookings will continue to grow at a faster rate, reaching 7% by 2026. This is due to the improvement in demand and policy visibility.

Travel spending was disrupted by tariffs, but it seems that prospective U.S. travellers are willing to book again, said Danni Hewson.

Expedia also focuses on simplifying the organizational structure of its company by eliminating roles, streamlining operation and deploying generative AI technologies.

The company exceeded its May guidance for a 75 to 100 basis point increase in the second quarter.

Michael Bellisario, Baird analyst, says that the most important takeaway from this report is Expedia's commitment to a strategic approach and its tighter control of expenses.

Expedia, along with industry peers Marriott and Airbnb, also noted that bookings were strong from consumers who earned more money. Lower-income consumers, however remained cautious about their discretionary spending.

Expedia shares are trading at about 12.01 times the estimated future profit, which is below the industry average of 14.19. Reporting by Aishwarya Jain, Bengaluru. Editing by Devika Syamnath.

(source: Reuters)